The Martyr
by ComicKid99
Summary: "There's a traitor in your team." An encounter from Oliver's past comes back to haunt him, and it looks as though he can't trust anyone anymore, even those he loves.
1. TRAITOR

**1: TRAITOR**

"...OLIVER!"

Felicity's voice echoed through the empty warehouse as she and Diggle raced through the building, desperately searching for their friend. He had been gone for hours, taken from right in front of them, and it had taken them all that time to hack the captors' communications and pinpoint a location. Felicity's heart was beating faster than it ever had while Diggle pretended to be calm, inside praying that Oliver was safe and well.

Their search moved further into the building and eventually the two found themselves facing two tables in the corner of the warehouse, lit by dim, flickering lights. On one table, many knives and medical instruments soaked with blood, and on the other table...Oliver, lying unconscious.

"Oh, crap. Oliver!" Diggle exclaimed as he and Felicity rushed to Oliver's side. Felicity checked his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief to find he wasn't dead. He still had his green vigilante suit on, but his jacket was open and his chest was exposed. Felicity and Diggle looked at their friend's chest in horror as they saw a huge cut across his stomach that had been very unprofessionally stitched up.

"Who did this to you?" Felicity asked, tearing up as she gently stroked Oliver's cheek.

"We need to get him out of here. Call Roy; get him to set up the medical area so it's ready when we get there." Diggle ordered, and Felicity obeyed, grabbing her phone and quickly calling for Roy. Diggle carefully lifted Oliver in his arms and rushed out of the warehouse and into his black van, where Felicity was now sat in on the phone. He placed Oliver on the back seat and moved to the front, driving off just as Felicity finished her conversation with a panicked Roy.

...

"Holy crap, what the hell happened?" Roy said, worried at the awful state Oliver was in as Diggle and Felicity carried him in and put him on a table. Roy had set up many medicines and instruments that may be needed to treat Oliver, but just as Diggle ran some kind of gel on Oliver's wounds he woke up with a start and lunged forward at his friends, stopping once he realised where he was before screaming as he began to feel the pain.

"Oliver! Oliver, are you okay?" Felicity asked, extremely concerned. Oliver eventually controlled the pain he was feeling and subdued it, trying to think of other things. He sat up on the table and looked at his wound on his chest, sighing heavily.

"Oliver?" Diggle said. Oliver looked at the three people around him.

"I'll be fine. I always am." Oliver said, standing up and wincing in pain and sitting on a nearby chair.

"What the hell happened? Who where those guys that took you and how did they know to come here?" Diggle asked. Oliver looked at Diggle, concerned.

"...I don't want to talk about it."

"No, this is one secret you definitely can't keep from us." Felicity said.

"I need to, Felicity." Oliver said sternly.

"That's not gonna be good enough for me, because they could've killed you. They did god knows what to you and then abandoned you. Why?" Felicity pondered.

"We should at least take a look at you, Oliver, see what they did to you." Roy suggested. Oliver got up again.

"No, I'm fine. They just cut me open to hurt me then stitched me back up so it would hurt more. End of story." Oliver snapped.

"...What aren't you telling us? You seem more reluctant to answer our questions than ever before." Diggle said.

"Just leave it, Digg. Okay?" Oliver said, putting on a shirt Roy had prepared for him, trying desperately to ignore the pain.

"Please, just tell us something. Anything." Felicity pleaded. Oliver faced the three of them.

"You already know the how; three men came down here, knocked all of us out with some kind of gas and then took me to the warehouse. The men worked for someone named The Martyr. He's the one who ordered the kidnapping and did this to me. It was a simple revenge attack." Oliver explained.

"Wait, who is The Martyr exactly?" Felicity asked.

"I can't tell you." Oliver replied.

"Well, why would he want revenge on you?" Roy questioned.

"I can't tell you that either. I can't tell you any more than what I have." Oliver said.

"And why's that?" Diggle puzzled. Oliver's face turned stone cold.

"...He told me something in the warehouse. Something that means I can't trust any of you. I'm sorry." Oliver said and walked out, leaving the other three gobsmacked.

"...He seems...different." Roy pointed out. The others nodded in agreement.

"I know. This Martyr guy has really got to him." Diggle said.

"And they've met before today. Oliver did something to make The Martyr want revenge on him. Why can't he trust us anymore? Normally he would've told us everything about The Martyr and what he did to him. Something smells fishy." Felicity said.

As the three of them wondered what was happening, Oliver walked out into the fresh air and closed his eyes, trying to forget what The Martyr had told him for a brief moment, trying to forget everything while reliving the painful experience of only a few hours ago...

...

_Oliver woke up and looked around him, recognising he was in an abandoned warehouse. He was tied to a table and saw another one next to him with surgical instruments all over it. He tried to snap the cabled tying him to the table but nothing was working._

"_There's no point trying to escape, you know. The gas my men used to knock you out weakens you for approximately an hour and a half. What a pity...for you."_

_Oliver froze at the sound of the voice. He recognised who it was immediately and it paralysed him._

"_How...how did you find me? How are you even here?" Oliver asked._

"_Oh, it was simple really. I know you better than you think I do." The voice said and appeared out of the shadows. The voice came from a tall, thin man in a grey suit, shirt and tie with jet black shoes. He had a scar down the side of his left cheek which was clearly visible despite the white make-up that was smothered all over his face with black patches of make-up around his eyes, making him look skeletal._

"_It is so good to see you again...Oliver." The man said with a grin. Oliver began to shake in fear, something he wasn't used to feeling._

"_TELL ME HOW YOU FOUND ME." Oliver snapped._

"_Now, now, Oliver. Stop thinking you're in control here. You're very much mistaken." The man's slow, whispered, piercing voice said._

"_Tell me."_

"_Very well. I knew, of course, you'd hide your secret hideout right under the nose of your 'alter ego', so to speak, so once I knew Oliver Queen owned a nightclub, I knew exactly where to look. So, I sent my boys there with the gas and they eventually found your little gang. I always thought you preferred working alone, so it was a surprise to see you had help." The man explained._

"_And what do you call yourself now? Do you use your real name anymore?" Oliver asked._

"_My real name is lost in time Oliver, just like yours is. You're only accomplishments in this city have been under an alias; the Vigilante, the Hood, the Arrow...I plan to follow in your footsteps. My accomplishment is getting revenge on you for what you did to me, and I am known in Starling City as The Martyr. THAT is my name now." The Martyr said viciously._

"_The Martyr? Why would you call yourself that?" Oliver asked._

"_Because THAT is what YOU made ME into!" The Martyr screamed._

"_No, I didn't!"_

"_Don't lie! You know I NEVER lie! And I'm not lying when I say that YOU did this to me! You MADE me into this! You gave me this scar on my cheek and you twisted my world, Oliver, and you're lucky that after today we are done. All I want is to watch you suffer and scream for a few moments and I will be satisfied. Consider yourself lucky as you have no idea what I'm capable of." The Martyr said._

"_What I did to you...I had no choice. It was the only way of saving all those people." Oliver said._

"_Those people didn't need saving! They DESERVED TO DIE! They deserved to burn and bleed and cry! But you just couldn't let that happen, could you? You just couldn't let my city burn like it was destined to. So when I heard about the vigilante protecting Starling City I knew it was you, so I waited until I felt the time was right to have my vengeance." The Martyr squealed, the fury behind his voice clear as day._

"_...I'm sorry." Oliver whispered._

"_Enough. It's time for you to suffer. You're going to burn and bleed and cry in the name of my city." The Martyr taunted, unzipping Oliver's jacket and exposing his bare chest. The Martyr moved over to the next table and picked up a large knife._

"_Hello, you beauty. Let's have some fun with Ollie here, shall we?" The Martyr said and returned to Oliver, who tried desperately to get out of the trap he was caught in._

"_Don't worry, Oliver. This won't hurt. Oh, wait...yes, yes it will. Lots."_

_With one slow slash, Oliver's chest had been cut open and he was screaming. All The Martyr could do was laugh. After an agonising few minutes, Oliver passed out from the pain._

...

_Oliver woke for a brief moment and saw the slash in his chest, causing him to scream again. The Martyr, who was sat on a chair beside him, stood up._

"_Oh, good, you're up. Now we can finish up, can't we? But before we do, I need to tell you something, and you know me Oliver. I don't lie." The Martyr said, and leaned in to Oliver's ear._

"_...There's a traitor in your team." He whispered before picking up some thread and a large needle from the table and began stitching up Oliver's wound. Oliver screamed in agony once more and quickly passed out again._

The next thing he remembered was waking up with Diggle, Felicity and Roy. Oliver knew The Martyr never lied, meaning that there was a traitor in his seemingly trustworthy team. Even if The Martyr had finished with Oliver like he said, something else was only just beginning.


	2. DAWN

**2: DAWN**

Felicity exited the building and immediately shivered at the bitter wind that had presented itself. She saw Oliver just in front of her, deep in thought with his eyes closed. She pondered for a few minutes whether or not to go over and talk to him, but eventually Oliver himself made the decision.

"What is it, Felicity? I know you're there." Oliver said, opening his eyes and facing her. She took a deep breath and walked up to him.

"I want to make sure you're okay. You seemed pretty shaken up back there. Why is it that you've suddenly developed trust issues?" Felicity asked.

"You know I can't tell you. I'm not sure who I can trust." Oliver said.

"You can trust me, Oliver. You okay? You look a little pale."

"Felicity, The Martyr said there was a traitor in my team. And he never lies." Oliver explained.

"Even so, you could honestly think I'm a traitor? A girl who spends almost all of her time with you, be it at Queen Consolidated or our humble abode beneath Verdant? The only free time I get I spent watching my Desperate Housewives DVDs and I DID NOT just tell you that." Felicity blabbed and Oliver chuckled.

"You're right, Felicity. I can trust you. I'm sorry." Oliver said comfortingly, placing a hand on Felicity's shoulder.

"So, tell me who this Martyr guy is? When did it all begin with you two?" Felicity asked. Oliver sighed.

"...After The Undertaking, after I failed to stop it, I left Starling and headed for Lian Yu..." Oliver began.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, I took a detour on the way there. I went to Hong Kong." Oliver said.

"Hong Kong? Why?" Felicity questioned.

"For old time's sake. I didn't spend all the five years I was gone on the island. I spent some of it in Hong Kong, too. So I couldn't resist paying it a visit to see how I saw the city now. When I was first there, I was a different man, so I was interested in how I'd react to going back. I needed to get my head away from The Undertaking and Merlyn and...Tommy. So, yeah, I went back to Hong Kong on the way." Oliver explained.

"Okay, I understand a bit more now. Go on." Felicity prompted.

"Yeah, so I was, uh...I was..." Oliver trembled, his face growing ever more pale by the second.

"Oliver, you don't look so good." Felicity said worriedly.

"I don't feel it either." Oliver said, and immediately bent over and threw up on Felicity's shoes. He stood back up straight and held a hand to his forehead.

"Sorry." Oliver said.

"I wish I could say you were the first guy who's done that." Felicity said. Oliver said nothing, and that's when Felicity knew for sure something was wrong.

"You didn't laugh. You're not okay, are you?" Felicity asked, supporting Oliver with all her strength while trying to forget she had vomit on her shoes.

"I don't think I am, no. Felicity, I need...I need...I..."

Oliver collapsed and fell to the ground with a loud thump. Felicity checked his pulse; it had grown very weak.

"DIGGLE! ROY!"

...

_Oliver felt strange as he took his first steps in Hong Kong after a very long time away from the place. His head was all over the place after The Undertaking and Tommy's death; he needed to try and savour how he felt before he had failed Starling City. That was why the idea of coming back to Hong Kong was so appealing. It was the perfect place to escape to for a while before he headed to Lian Yu, where he could really clear his head._

_He walked down the busy streets and the many emotions he had felt as he walked (but more likely ran) down them years ago returned. He knew deep down he saw Hong Kong differently to before, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what had changed about it._

_He continued walking and taking in the area with every step, breath and blink. Oliver didn't want to stay for too long; just a quick look around and he'd be off, but then something caught his eye. An obviously knew sign had been mounted on the wall, reading 'Amanecer' with an arrow below it pointing to the left. No one seemed particularly interested in the sign, nor did they completely ignore it. Oliver walked up to the sign and looked in the direction of the arrow, but there were so many buildings it was difficult to know which one the sign referred to; Oliver assumed there must be more signs later on the path. Oliver turned around and saw an older woman looking at him._

"_You seem very interested in sign." The woman said. Oliver nodded._

"_I am." He replied._

"_You know what it is? Amanecer?" The woman asked. Oliver shook his head._

"_No. I'm new here."_

"_Amanecer. Spanish." The woman stated._

"_Spanish for what?"_

"_...Dawn."_

"_What exactly is it?" Oliver asked._

"_Perimeter of houses. Cornered off. No public allowed in. Important people stay there, like hotel. Important people who come here for private meetings. Important meetings. Not been here very long. Neither has owner." The woman briefly detailed._

"_Who's the owner?" Oliver asked._

"_Man called Joseph. Joseph Sterven." The woman answered._

_Oliver stared at the woman, not expecting that name to come out of her mouth. Ever since he returned to Starling and became a vigilante, he paid much more attention to the news and the goings on around the world, and Joseph Sterven was a name he had heard a few times. Sterven was the head of Armtry, a charity that campaigned and protested against not only the use, but the existence of, nuclear weapons. Sterven's many campaigns had gotten him coverage on the news many times. He had always slightly creeped Oliver out. He was a tall, thin man who always wore a grey suit and tie with jet black shoes. However, in recent months Sterven, and the activities of Armtry, had seemingly vanished. Oliver had no idea Sterven had moved to Hong Kong, and had done so very quickly considering he had been based not too far from Starling for most of his life._

"_Thank you." Oliver said to the woman, who smiled at him and went on her way. Oliver looked back at the sign and an image of Sterven entered his mind. He could forget about Sterven and Amanecer and go on to Lian Yu, but Oliver knew that he was going to stay and investigate a little further. It could be perfectly innocent, but just in case something strange was going on Oliver had to look into Amanecer a little deeper. It was an opportunity, Oliver decided, to partly redeem himself for his failings in Starling City only recently. He failed his city, but he could do Hong Kong some good._

_Before he investigated, however, Oliver knew exactly what he needed to acquire. He approached another citizen._

"_Excuse me?" Oliver asked. The man faced him._

"_Uh, yes?"_

"_...Do you know anywhere nearby that sells a bow?"_

...

Oliver awoke and saw a similar view as to when he previously woke with a start. He sat up but Diggle forced him straight back down onto the cold table. Diggle, Felicity and Roy all stared at him with huge concern written across all of their faces.

"What's going on? Did I pass out again?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah. Oliver, this is more serious than you thought." Roy said.

"...I don't understand." Oliver said, growing worried.

"We were worried when we brought you back in. I'm pretty glad you bought some x-ray equipment and installed it down here." Felicity said.

"Why did you x-ray me?" Oliver asked.

"Because we thought there was more to The Martyr's plan that just cutting you open and sealing the wound up again. Oliver, he put something inside you before sealing you back up." Diggle said.

"...What?" Oliver almost demanded, now frightened.

"A bomb. A miniaturised bomb." Diggle said. Oliver's face went whiter than ever. Felicity took Oliver's hand and he faced her.

"And we have no idea when it's gonna go off." She told him.


	3. DEEPER

**3: DEEPER**

_Oliver easily acquired a bow and arrows from a trader, claiming he was opening a weapons exhibition back home, and made his way to Amanecer by following the signs. While he was worried about what he may or may not find inside, he was glad to have some distraction so he didn't have to stay focused on the destruction he had left behind in Starling City. It also helped him to think about anything other than picturing Tommy and the mass of guilt he felt over his demise._

_He found the selection of building, all with a large fence around it. However, Oliver knew that wouldn't be a problem for him. He was surprised at how many security officers were around the perimeter, but a black hoodie and a scouring of rooftops later so him about to jump from outside the perimeter and onto the roof of one of Amencer's buildings without being seen. As he climbed down the building's gutter, he carefully slid open a window and rolled inside, thankful whoever was staying in that particular room was out. He picked the lock of the room door and managed to get out into an empty corridor. Looking at each door carefully, he soon found a storage cupboard which he put the hoodie, bows and arrows into. Mentally noting the floor and room number, Oliver made his way down to the entrance and soon found the reception. A woman was sat at the desk in a navy blue suit and black rimmed glasses. Oliver smiled as he saw the glasses; they reminded him of Felicity. He knew she'd be somewhere worrying about him but he couldn't think about that now._

"_I'd like to see Joseph Sterven, please." Oliver said. The receptionist glared at him._

"_No one is allowed to see Mr Sterven unless there is a significant matter that must be discussed."_

"_I do have a significant matter to discuss. I'm Oliver Queen, and I'd like to make a donation to Amanecer and hopefully be a sponsor." Oliver lied. The receptionist's interest was obvious._

"_I'll, uh...I'll brief Mr Sterven and get him to meet you in his office. It's the first door on the corridor behind this desk." She said and let Oliver pass._

"_Thank you." Oliver said and made his way to the office. He opened the door and looked around, surprised by the amount of files and folders that were in shelves across the whole room. He took a seat in front of the empty desk and wait in an anxious silence until the door slowly opened and in walked Sterven. He glanced at Oliver, who stood up and shook his hand._

"_Mr Queen, I've been informed you wish to support Amanecer." Sterven said._

"_Yes, and possibly Armtry too." Oliver said happily. Sterven's face dropped._

"_I, um...I don't associate myself with Armtry as much as I used to. Amanecer is my priority now. I prefer not to talk about it." Sterven said coldly, putting Oliver in his place._

"_Oh, okay. I thought as much; I hadn't seen it or you on the news as much recently." Oliver said. Sterven smiled slightly._

"_Yes, that'll be why. So you have heard of me before? I'm not used to that here. I'm afraid I only know little about you, Mr Queen. The man who came back from the dead. You're quite the miracle, Mr Queen."_

"_Please, call me Oliver."_

"_Well, Oliver, what brings you to Hong Kong?" Sterven asked._

"_I just...needed time to myself. I don't plan on staying too long. But while I'm here, I felt I could show Amanecer my support. I'm all for the protection and healthcare of the important. I am one of them after all." Oliver laughed, making himself out to be a smug jerk. Sterven chuckled quietly._

"_Quite."_

"_But before we talk that, Joseph, I'd like to know more about Amanecer itself. How it ticks, etcetera. You seem pretty busy all the time, so what do you do to take up so much time? Got any secret plans for this place?" Oliver asked with a smile. Sterven didn't look impressed at all._

"_I'm not a liar, Oliver, but I refrain from answering certain questions. To get the information they want I like people to make the effort and ask the right questions. I like people to know I can be a challenge, Oliver. Like a wild animal; aggressive when threatened." Sterven stated bluntly with a slight anger behind his eyes. Oliver was extremely suspicious._

"_Well, I'd like to think I could tame wild animals." Oliver said sternly._

_The two men stared at each other intently before being interrupted by the receptionist's voice over the intercom._

"_Mr Sterven, your new employees are here."_

_Sterven coughed and headed to the door._

"_Well, please excuse me, Oliver. See yourself out, won't you? Or do I need you escorted? I'm sure we'll have more time to discuss this later." Sterven said._

"_I'm sure we will. I'm sure I can get out just fine." Oliver said. Sterven smiled and walked out, grabbed a walkie-talkie from his pocket and spoke into it._

"_Find out everything you can about Oliver Queen."_

_Oliver had to work quickly. He scanned every single file on the shelf but found nothing that stood out to him. Eventually his attention turned to the desk, and he realised if anything important was in the office it would be in there. He broke each of the draws open and searched round._

_Pens. Spare paper. Photos._

_Oliver stopped as he felt something stuck to the bottom of one of the draws. He pulled it off and saw it was a file with CONFIDENTIAL written on it. His heart racing, Oliver opened it and saw inside was a list of names; guests staying at Amanecer. As he read each name Oliver was glad he'd kept up with the news and politics since returning home after five years of hell. All the guests were high ranked officials from various countries and various companies but they all had one thing in common; they all had a role and expertise in the management of nuclear weapons, the cause Armtry was against. Knowing some much deeper was going on behind the surface of Amanecer, Oliver slipped the file under his shirt and tidied up quickly before rushing out, giving the receptionist a smile as he passed her and ran off as soon as he left the building, promising to return for the hoodie, bow and arrows later. For now, he needed to find somewhere to spend the night._

...

In the Foundry, Oliver sat up on the table, panicked at the news that a bomb was inside him.

"You all need to get out of here. Right now." Oliver demanded.

"Oliver, we can't just leave you." Roy said.

"I need you to. Get as far as you can from this place. I need all of you to be safe." Oliver stated. Diggle and Roy went to move away but Felicity stayed put.

"There is NO WAY I'm just leaving." Felicity said boldly.

"Felicity, this thing could go off at any moment and if it does it'll kill all of us. I don't want to spend my final moments knowing I've gotten people unnecessarily killed, especially people I care for. Let there be only one casualty, Felicity. This is the revenge The Martyr truly wanted. Give it to him with as little bloodshed as possible." Oliver said.

"...Never."

"Felicity, you know your stubbornness is something I normally love about you, but right now I'm getting pretty ticked off." Oliver said.

"Oliver, you listen to me. You have put your life in danger to save him so many times; the landmine on Lian You, when the Count took me hostage, when Slade took me. Please let me do the same for you for once. You're an incredible man, Oliver, and I won't sit back and so nothing if I can help." Felicity said.

"And what could you do?" Oliver questioned.

"Get the bomb out and try to deactivate it. I'm clever...ish." Felicity said.

"I could help with that, too." Diggle said, stepping forward.

"And...well, I could stand and watch supportively." Roy said.

Oliver looked at his three determined friends and sighed.

"You're not gonna back down, are you?" Oliver asked. The three of them shook their heads.

"...It could go off at any moment. Even getting it out could activate it." Oliver said, growing white again.

"I'll get you a bucket." Roy said and rushed off as Oliver held his head in pain.

"We're aware of the risks, Oliver." Diggle said. Oliver took Felicity's hand.

"...Okay, let's do it. I think you just like seeing me in pain." Oliver said and Felicity smiled.

"I do, but not this much. Especially when this sorta pain made you throw up on my favourite shoes." Felicity smiled. Oliver smiled back at her then turned his attention to the bucket Roy brought him and threw up into it. He fell back onto the table.

"Do it. Now. Though I'm not happy about being cut open and stitched back up so much in one day." Oliver said.

"We'll put you under." Diggle said, reaching for something in a nearby cabinet filled with medicine.

"We'll see you soon." Felicity said and kissed the top of Oliver's head.

"You bet." Oliver smiled.

"But Oliver, if you die...I'll kill you." Felicity said.

The last thing Oliver remembered as he went under was laughing through the pain at Felicity's words.

...

_Later that night, Oliver sat in his motel room he'd managed to find, staring at the file before him. He knew Sterven housing nuclear weapon experts was no coincidence, but what he was planning exactly was still unclear. He knew deep down he had to do something about it, but he still wasn't sure what._

_There was a knock on the door and a maid came in._

"_Do you need anything, sir?" She asked._

"_No, thank you." Oliver smiled._

_Just then, three men dressed all in black came in, shoving the maid to the floor and pointing guns at Oliver. Sterven came in behind them and Oliver stood up._

"_Well, well, Oliver, you like to stay up late. These are my new employees. Hired help." Sterven said._

"_You're insane!" Oliver shouted._

"_No, you're insane for thinking you can take what is mine and I won't notice. Dear me, Oliver, very sloppy work." Sterven said, gesturing towards the stolen folder spread out on Oliver's bed._

"_What are you planning?" Oliver demanded._

"_All in good time." Sterven said. He turned and faced the maid, who was still lying on the floor._

"_You'll say nothing?" Sterven asked. The maid nodded hysterically, tears forming in her eyes. Sterven pulled out a gun and shot her twice._

"_NO!" Oliver screamed._

"_She was right; she's not saying anything ever again." Sterven giggled._

"_You're sick." Oliver said, staring at the poor, innocent woman lying dead in front of him._

"_Sick is a strong word to throw around, Oliver. You're coming with us." Sterven stated, nodding at one of his men, who stepped forward and smacked Oliver across the face with his gun. Oliver fell to the floor, unconscious. Sterven smiled and walked out as one of his men dragged Oliver out of the room before picking him up and carrying him over their shoulder. They reached the motel's reception, where all the staff were scattered along the room, all dead. Sterven tutted as he looked around._

"_Poor souls." Sterven said and turned to another of his men, who took of his mask._

"_Stay here. You're a witness. When the authorities get here, tell them this was an armed robbery and they took cash from the till. Sterven said as he emptied the till, stuffing the money into his pockets._

"_Now then, let's get back. Oliver and I are going to have some fun." Sterven said with a sly smile as the room soon emptied of life, with Sterven, Oliver and two of his men heading back to Amanecer._

...

Oliver woke with a start, immediately regretting sitting up and he clutched his chest, overcome by the immense pain. He turned to his side and saw Felicity smiling at him.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Felicity asked.

"About as good as I look." Oliver said.

"Yeah, you're gonna be all kinds of sore for weeks. But, you're not a walking bomb any more. No more throwing up on shoes." Felicity said and Oliver smiled.

"Sorry." Oliver said.

"No worries, I have plenty of money. I'll just buy another pair." Felicity said sarcastically but smiled nonetheless.

"What about the bomb? Did you disarm it?" Oliver asked, concerned.

"We tried but to no avail. All the wires were too close together to see anything. Diggle and Roy are taking drastic action as we speak." Felicity explained.

"What?"

"They went to the docks and threw it in the sea. They're on their way back now." Felicity said. Oliver sighed with relief.

"And that will be enough?" Oliver questioned.

"Yeah; it's a small device so the explosion won't be massive. The water will contain it. At worst the only casualties will be some really unlucky fish." Felicity said and Oliver laughed. Felicity laughed with him.

"How can you always make me laugh so easily?" Oliver asked.

"Well, it's all I'm good for." Felicity laughed. Oliver took her hand and faced her.

"Hey, you're good for so much more than that." Oliver said, filled with meaning. Felicity smiled. Oliver winced in pain again.

"Don't worry, the extra morphine will kick in soon." Felicity said.

"Okay, so, tell me about the bomb. Where did The Martyr get it?" Oliver asked.

"Well, I briefly studied it but couldn't trace a supplier, so we have to assume The Martyr made it himself. Clever guy. What's really interesting is that there was some kind of toxin inside that was released into your bloodstream every few minutes. That explains why you were throwing up so much." Felicity explained.

"How did he manage to do that?" Oliver wondered.

"Very cleverly."

"And I'll be okay?"

"Yeah, it'll pass through your system soon. If we'd left it for much longer it would've poisoned you. You might've died before the bomb even went off. The Martyr really wanted to make sure you were a goner." Felicity said.

"Yeah, I guess so." Oliver said, pondering The Martyr's actions.

"You gotta hand it to him; he put in a valiant effort at killing you. He put a bomb inside you that forced your own body to turn against you. A weapon that makes the victim betray themselves is pretty powerful stuff. Wow, that's getting kinda deep." Felicity said. Oliver looked up at her with a start.

"Betrayed myself?" Oliver asked and Felicity nodded.

"Oh, of course." Oliver added.

"What?"

"He told me there's a traitor in my team. He was talking about the bomb. I'M part of the team, after all. The traitor in my team was the bomb inside of me." Oliver realised.

"Are you sure that's what he meant?" Felicity asked.

"Definitely. That's how his mind works. He's...he's not very well." Oliver said.

"I got to that conclusion by myself, actually. Are you gonna go after him?" Felicity said.

"Of course. He made this personal; he put you and the others in danger. There's something more going on here...something..._deeper_." Oliver said.

"Well, at least rest for a bit first." Felicity suggested. Oliver stared at her with a smile.

"...What?" She asked.

"Thank you. For standing by me even when you were in danger." Oliver said.

"It's the least I could do. That's all you ever do for so many people every day. It's about time someone gave something back." Felicity said.

"Well, it means a lot to me." Oliver said and rested back down onto the table.

"Good. Now, rest." Felicity ordered. Oliver saluted Felicity, who laughed as she walked out. Oliver watched her go with a smile. He could never express in words how much his friends and family meant to him, which is why no matter how far The Martyr would run now, or even how fast he ran, he should be afraid.

Because The Arrow was coming for him.


	4. PROTOCOL

**4: PROTOCOL**

Felicity continued to track The Martyr via his communications network (the same one they used to find Oliver) over the next few days while Oliver rested. Oliver came to the Foundry carrying a small box at one in the morning, hoping to enjoy the peace and quiet as he couldn't sleep. However, to his surprise Felicity was still there.

"Felicity, go home and get some sleep." Oliver said. Felicity spun in her chair to face him.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to." Felicity said.

"Felicity, your concern for me is touching, but don't lose sleep over me." Oliver said.

"Actually, I just meant that I've had about fifteen cups of coffee in an hour." Felicity smiled and Oliver laughed. Felicity noticed the box Oliver was holding.

"What's in there?" Felicity asked. Oliver walked over to Felicity and gave the box to her.

"It was gonna wait until later, but since you're here already..." Oliver began as Felicity opened the box and saw a brand new pair of shoes, identical to the ones Oliver had ruined only days ago, and Felicity was happy to see they were indeed the correct size.

"Thank you. You didn't have to." Felicity laughed.

"Yes I did."

"Well, replacement shoes aside, it seems The Martyr is still active in the city. He's certainly sticking around." Felicity said.

"Of course he is."

"And he hasn't blocked his communications so I can track his whereabouts. Is that on purpose to?" Felicity asked.

"Yes. He wants me to find him. I knew it wasn't over." Oliver said sternly.

"He must have one hell of a grudge against you. What went down between you?" Felicity asked. Oliver looked down as he remembered his actions on that fateful day. The day Joseph Sterven became The Martyr.

...

_Oliver woke up with a start as a cup of water was pulled over his head. He found himself back in Sterven's office in Amanecer. He was sat on an uncomfortable wooden chair with his hand tied to the back of it with rope. It was pretty easy to get out of, but luckily Sterven and his men didn't know that/ Yet._

_Sterven sat behind his desk, glaring at Oliver with evil intent, skimming through the folder that Oliver had taken earlier that day. Sterven's armed men were stood in front of the door, leaving Oliver with no easy escape route._

"_Wakey, wakey." Sterven said calmly as Oliver adjusted to his surroundings and shook himself awake._

"_Why did you kill the maid? She did NOTHING." Oliver asked angrily. Sterven smiled and sat back in his chair._

"_She WAS nothing. One of the tiny, insignificant people. Her death didn't matter, Oliver. Just like yours won't." Sterven said._

"_Why did you kill her?" Oliver demanded again. Sterven chuckled._

"_Oh, I don't know. I was in a bad mood? She'd seen too much? It was funny? Take your pick."_

_Sterven sat back forward, returning his attention to the file before him._

"_I take it you know who all these people are?" Sterven asked._

"_Yes." Oliver responded._

"_Clever boy. And you know what they have in common?"_

"_Yes."_

"_And that knowledge is why I'm going to have to kill you, Oliver. Sorry." Sterven said gleefully and stood up, sitting on the edge of his desk in front of Oliver._

"_Do your employees know what you're really doing here, whatever that is?" Oliver asked._

"_Of course not. Only these fine gentlemen here! Hired mercenaries. Once their job is done and their services paid for, they won't say a word." Sterven explained._

"_What is Amanecer really for? What is its true purpose? What are you planning?" Oliver asked. Sterven grinned, exposing some yellowed teeth._

"_Finally, you're asking the right questions. Now, you know I'll tell you the truth because...I don't lie. As you know." Sterven said and began wondering around the room. Oliver followed him with his eyes as he moved._

"_Amanecer is Spanish for 'dawn', Oliver. And that is what this place is. I bought this land and quickly built this place upon it for one purpose. It is the dawn of a safer world. A world without nuclear weapons. This is a good thing, Oliver. I'm playing the hero." Sterven said._

"_You're playing with fire." Oliver interrupted._

"_SHUT UP! Now, may I continue? Good. All of my guests here have the potential to create new nuclear weapons or even cause nuclear strikes. So, I take in all these people and let them stay here. But then, they all die in a horrific accident as Amanecer burns down, or maybe it gets robbed by mercenaries with guns? Or maybe there's a tragic gas leak? Either way, they all die in an accident of some kind. Then, we move somewhere else and build a new Amanecer, bring in another group of the same disgusting human beings, and they too die in a tragic accident. Then we move somewhere else, build a new Amanecer and carry on until everyone single one of those cruel beings burn and die. That's all I'm doing here, Oliver. I'm saving the world. And you know I'm only telling you this because you'll be dead in approximately five minutes." Sterven explained._

"_And why Hong Kong?" Oliver asked._

"_Why not? It was the perfect place to start. A place where no one knew about my involvement with Armtry so they wouldn't be suspicious. But in time, I'll make people assume I've changed my mind about nuclear weaponry and gain their trust to carry out the scheme across the globe." Sterven said._

"_This is wrong." Oliver snapped._

"_Oh, is it? Why is that?" Sterven questioned._

"_You can't kill people for something they haven't done yet, or something they may not even do!" Oliver answered._

"_I CAN'T TAKE THAT CHANCE! The scum deserve to die for following such a murderous career path. And I can't take the chance of keeping you alive. Especially when I got my boys to search the whole complex and they found these..." Sterven said as he pulled out Oliver's hoodie, bow and arrows from behind his desk that Oliver had hidden earlier._

"_You didn't think about the CCTV, did you Oliver? What were you going to do with these, hmm? Do you think yourself a hero?" Sterven taunted._

"_Do you?" Oliver returned._

"_In a way, yes. I'm simply a man with a cause; a direction. Anyway, enough of this." Sterven stated. He pulled his gun out from his jacket and pushed it against Oliver's forehead._

"_Don't worry. It'll be quick; I won't make you beg. Poor Oliver Queen. You come back from the dead just to die again. Your poor family. Moira. Thea. What about your guard, John Diggle? And Felicity Smoak, a girl you seem to contact a lot on your mobile. I got my boys to dig the dirt on you; there's not much I don't know. Will any of them miss you? I doubt it. Maybe I'll pay them all a visit. Put a bullet through Thea's head? A sword through Moira's chest? The possibilities are endless." Sterven taunted vigorously. Oliver couldn't contain his rage._

"_Shouldn't have said that." Oliver said, ripping the rope that held his hands and head butting Sterven, causing him to fall and hit his head on his desk. Oliver kicked Sterven's gun to the corner of the room and threw the chair at one of the mercenaries, knocking him to the floor. He kicked the other mercenary into the wall, causing him to hit his head on the concrete surface and falling to the ground. He took the mercenaries' weapons and crushed them with his feet before heading out the door. In truth, he didn't know what he was going to do next, but his thoughts were distracted by Sterven's voice._

"_This is Sterven."_

_Oliver faced Sterven, who was still on the floor holding his bleeding head and talking into his walkie-talkie._

"_Activate Protocol One." Sterven said._

"_WHAT'S THAT?" Oliver demanded._

"_The other mercenary; the one acting as a witness at your motel, he has a manual trigger to Protocol One. The countdown has begun." Sterven said._

"_What countdown?"_

"_I needed a Plan B, just in case. When we built this place, we installed a series of bombs under the surface of all the buildings. In eight minutes they'll blow and everyone in it will burn. Even if I die, at least I've taken some of those murderers up in smoke with me." Sterven said. Oliver, angrier than ever, thumped Sterven, knocking him to the floor. He smashed the walkie-talkie and stormed out. His eye immediately caught a fire alarm trigger on the wall and he smiled._

"_Healthy and Safety does have benefits after all." Oliver said, smashing the glass and setting off the fire alarms across the whole site. Oliver looked out of a nearby window and saw people flooding out of each building to an exit, including several staff. Luckily, everyone who would try and stop them leaving were unconscious. He slid open the window and shouted to the people below._

"_EVERYONE! GET OUT AS FAST AS YOU CAN! THERE ARE BOMBS! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!"_

_The screams of the terrified people grew louder and Oliver jumped out of the window and guided people out as quickly as he could. He told people to call the police and the fire brigade. Even if everyone did get out in time, Oliver had no way of stopping the bombs from going off._

_There was something else Oliver knew. Despite everything, he couldn't just leave Sterven and the mercenaries to die. He just couldn't, not after what happened in Starling City. Not after what happened to Tommy. All the killing he used to do, that would have to change._

_Oliver ran as fast as he could back to Sterven's office. He opened the door and was shocked to see the two mercenaries had gone, probably to join the third and escape from their failed mission. In the corner of the room, Sterven was in a heap, sobbing uncontrollably as he curled himself up into a ball. However, he knew Oliver has come in._

"_Why did you do this to me, Oliver? What are you? You are the murderer of dreams!" Sterven cried. Oliver was bewildered by Sterven's behaviour. Oliver held out his hand._

"_Come on, Joseph. Come with me. You're sick, Joseph. You're not right in the head right now, but come with me and I promise I'll get you help! Come on, Joseph, take this chance. You don't have to do this." Oliver said calmly. Sterven slowly stood up and threw his desk over, sending the contents all over the room, including the bow, arrows and hoodie of Oliver's._

"_Joseph, please. Come with me; there isn't much time." Oliver pleaded._

_Sterven stared at Oliver the whole time as he reached into his jacket and slowly pulled out another device. He treated it delicately. It was a small stick-like item with a button on top. A trigger._

"_Automatic detonation." Sterven whispered, all hope faded from his expression. Oliver couldn't take his eyes off of the trigger._

...

The next morning, Oliver became The Arrow for the first time in days. Felicity, Diggle and Roy all watched as he approached them.

"Feeling better?" Roy asked. Oliver nodded.

"I am. Thank you, all of you. You risked your lives to dispose of the bomb. It means a lot." Oliver said.

"And now you're going to find him?" Diggle asked.

"Yep."

"And do what?" Roy puzzled.

"...I have no idea." Oliver answered.

"He's somewhere in a now unused apartment block right at the other end of the city." Felicity said, handing Oliver the address on a slip of paper. He took it and smiled at her. He could see the concern on her face.

"I'll be fine." Oliver said.

"Well, considering you're going after the man who made you into a walking, talking explosion waiting to happen, forgive me for being nervous." Felicity said.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Diggle asked.

"No. This is between him and me." Oliver stated firmly.

"Good luck." Roy said. Oliver shook Diggle and Roy's hands and hugged Felicity before walking out. He turned back to face the others.

"Digg…Protocol Three." Oliver said and Diggle nodded respectfully. Oliver frowned and walked away.

"What's Protocol Three?" Felicity asked as soon as Oliver had left.

"If he's not back in three hours, assume the worst and go looking for his body." Diggle said sadly.

Everyone took a moment to themselves to think through their situation.

"This must be serious for him to go out during daylight." Diggle said. Roy nodded.

"He will be okay, right?" Roy asked worriedly.

"He's Oliver." Diggle replied.

"That's why I'm worried." Felicity said.

Oliver stayed in alleys and behind buildings as he made his way to The Martyr's location, not knowing what to expect. Oliver realised The Martyr must've assumed Oliver would get rid of the bomb inside of him, so left his communications open so he could track him down. There was more to The Martyr's revenge than violence and pain.

And ready or not, Oliver was on his way to find out what it was.


	5. GONE

**5: GONE**

Oliver followed The Martyr's signal for what felt like miles as he contemplated all that was about to happen. He wondered exactly what The Martyr wanted. Either way, he had made it personal by risking the lives of the ones he cared about, and Oliver knew deep down he had to put an end to The Martyr's plans. How exactly, Oliver didn't know. And that terrified him.

Eventually Oliver found himself standing exactly where the signal was coming from. He looked around nervously, breathing heavily.

"Hello." The booming voice of The Martyr said. Oliver looked up and standing on top of the tall building was The Martyr himself. The Martyr pointed at Oliver then curled his finger slowly towards himself, inviting Oliver up. Oliver climbed up the side of the building, hopping from one window to another as he got higher and higher before reaching the roof and climbing up. The Martyr faced him directly as he pointed a gun at him.

"And so the story ends." The Martyr said.

"This needs to stop, Sterven." Oliver said.

"DO NOT call me that! Whatever was left of him, of my humanity, is gone. You took it from me that night. The night you scarred my left cheek and made me a Martyr. You made this monster of a man, Oliver." The Martyr said.

"I know. And it is one of the many things I've done that I regret, but what I did saved so many lives. I had to stop you." Oliver said.

"Oh, and didn't you just? You left me for dead and ruined everything. I couldn't risk continuing with my plans for Amanecer going global after that. So I hid, waiting for the moment to get my vengeance. And this was the perfect opportunity; just as you save the city from a man called Slade Wilson and think yourself as a hero, I arrive and show you that you're not." The Martyr said.

"I thought you died that night." Oliver said.

"I know, and I wish I had. But I didn't, so I knew that I had to get my revenge, and it only took a miniaturised bomb and a few hired men. They're both long gone, by the way, you won't find them. I knew this is only between us now." The Martyr explained.

"And the 'traitor in my team' was the bomb inside of me." Oliver said. The Martyr smiled eerily and clapped.

"Very good, Oliver. Well done. Top marks. I knew you'd survive that somehow and come looking for me. I needed to raise the stakes or you'd have just left me to it. I needed closure, and I think you do to. And now I'll kill you in person to get that closure. You really think after all this time I'd be happy for you to die without me as witness? I want to see the life leave your body and I will dance upon your corpse. That is my final victory. The victory you robbed me of." The Martyr declared.

"You were unwell back then. You still are. Please, let me get you help." Oliver pleaded. The Martyr shook his head.

"No. It's too late to save me now. Far too late. I wish I was never born." The Martyr said.

"You hate your own existence? No wonder you're willing to die for any cause." Oliver said, looking into The Martyr's eyes. Any humanity certainly had gone, and had been gone for a long time.

"You know, part of me wishes I'd returned sooner. I'd have loved to have been the one to plunge that sword deep into your mother's heart." The Martyr taunted.

"Don't."

"Maybe I still can savour the taste of your family's blood. I could track down your sister, wherever she may be. Perhaps her screams would sound equally as satisfying as yours will."

"STOP!" Oliver demanded.

"Enough of this. It is time for the final chapter, only this time it will end with YOU being the one dead." The Martyr said. As Oliver stared down the barrel of the gun his thoughts returned to that fateful night.

...

_Sterven held the manual trigger in his hand. Oliver knew Sterven was more than capable to go through with pressing it. He had to do something, and quickly. In a swift motion, he rolled on the floor, grabbed the bow and arrows that had fallen and shot the trigger out of Sterven's hand, causing it to roll to the corner of the room. Sterven glared at Oliver, enraged, and jumped on top of him, screaming at the top of his voice. The two of them threw each other around the room, delivering powerful kicks and punches to each other at every opportunity. Oliver had to ignore the blood dripping down his face as he continued to fight Sterven. The madness inside of him was making him strong enough to be a worthy opponent for Oliver._

_Oliver punched Sterven and threw him onto his desk, which collapsed and caused him to fall to the floor. He rolled onto his stomach in pain as Oliver approached him._

"_It's over, Joseph." Oliver said. Sterven grabbed a broken piece of wood from the remains of the desk and rolled back onto his front, smacking Oliver across the head with it. Oliver fell, disorientated, as Sterven leaped on top of him._

"_It is indeed." Sterven whispered viciously, the venom dripping off of his words. Sterven wrapped his hands around Oliver's neck and squeezed tighter and tighter. Oliver tried to kick Sterven off but he wouldn't budge. His face went red as he stopped being able to breathe. He desperately moved his hands around the floor to find something to defend him and he felt a rogue arrow lying near him. He reached for it with the last of his strength and launched his arm at Sterven. The arrow sliced open Sterven's left cheek and he fell back in pain, clutching his face in agony as he screamed. Oliver sat up and tried to regain his breath just as Sterven found the trigger once more, one hand still covering his wounded face._

"_No. More." Sterven declared. Oliver stood up._

"_Sterven, no! You can't!"_

"_I will return to this Earth, Oliver, with a new life and a new name, but the same cause. I will die time and time again to save this planet, Oliver, and that is a promise. A new world will come from this, Mr Queen, a world run by people like me." Sterven shouted. Oliver lunged towards Sterven, but it was too late._

_Sterven pressed the button. The trigger activated._

_There was a loud rumble and suddenly everything turned a mixture of red, orange and black as the explosives ripped through the ground below and tore every building in Amanecer apart. Through the sound of the explosions, Oliver heard the screams of nearby people as the office collapsed around him, with bricks and water spraying everywhere as everything turned to dust. An explosion occurred right in front of Sterven, sending him flying back through the window with a smash. Oliver heard his cries as he seemingly fell into the fiery abyss. Oliver looked around at the inferno, knowing he'd failed yet another city, just as rubble fell on him and everything went black._

_Oliver woke up an hour later on the floor of the area just outside Amanecer. Fire engines roared as they tried to drown the blaze. Oliver sat up and saw the whole site had been flattened by the explosions, and other nearby buildings had partially collapsed or had missing windows. Huge crowds were gathered, watching in horror and screaming as the blaze continued. Oliver felt tears fall down his face as he accepted another failure. He'd failed those he cared about once again. A fireman approached him._

"_Sir, are you okay? Are you hurt?"_

_Oliver wiped his tears and looked at him._

"_Just a few bruises."_

"_You got lucky; we found you under some rubble. It must have shielded you from any further damage." The fireman explained._

"_And that's lucky?" Oliver asked._

"_Luckier than some. Joseph Sterven isn't accounted for, and two other poor souls didn't make it out in time. We've recovered their bodies. God knows what happened here." The fireman said and walked off as he was called over to help an injured civilian. Oliver broke down at the thought of the two dead guests and how scared they would've been in there final moments. In the end, Sterven did have a small victory of his own._

_The next day, Oliver saw on the news that the explosion of Amanecer was labelled a simple terrorist attack. He knew that someone higher up obviously wanted to cover up any evidence of the pre-existing bombs. Sterven and Amanecer were gone; the damage he could have caused had been limited. It was the only good thing Oliver could think of coming from the events. He thought of the murdered motel staff, the two innocent men killed in the explosion, and of his friends and family back in Starling, who were watching the story on the news not knowing the truth behind it. Sterven wasn't even mentioned in the news; only the citizens of Hong Kong knew he was there. His body was never found, presumed there was nothing left of him to find after such a huge explosion._

_Oliver spent the next few hours walking around, listening to the local people talk about him._

"_He died with his company. His vision. He is a martyr of sorts." The local people were saying._

_That word stuck with Oliver. Martyr. If only everyone knew._

_To Oliver, his failure to prevent Amanecer's destruction was yet another thing he'd gotten wrong. Part of him regretted even returning to Hong Kong; he should've gone straight to Lian You. Hong Kong had nothing left for him now, so Oliver headed straight to Lian Yu from there, desperately trying to bury the recent events deep into his memory._

_Oliver swore to himself he'd never speak of it again._

...

As Oliver continued to stare down The Martyr's gun, his heart broke as he recalled those awful moments in Hong Kong.

"How did you survive?" Oliver asked. The Martyr lowered his gun.

"Really? You need to know? You saw me fly through that window. I flew straight into a flying piece of rubble which sent me soaring into a pile of ash by the fence. I saw the fence had mostly blown away so I jumped through it and ran as fast and as far as I could. I was lost, Oliver. In that moment, I knew of only two things; Joseph Sterven was my past, and that I hated you above all else. My hatred for you overtook my hate for those interested in nuclear weaponry. That is how much you destroyed my world, Oliver. You made me this." The Martyr said.

"I know. And I'm so sorry. But you're not right in the head. I don't think you ever have been, and that's okay. There are so many people who can help you. Please. Life has been unkind to you, but for you to admit something's wrong is a victory. Getting better and finding peace without violence should be your final victory. You survived Hong Kong for a reason, and I think that reason is to get better. You could be amazing, you know. Just give yourself the opportunity...and stop all of this. I wish I could change what happened but neither of us can. But we can change the future, together. Don't be The Martyr, be something more...be something _better_." Oliver said. The Martyr seemed captivated by Oliver's words. He dropped the gun and started crying.

"I...I can't kill you. It wouldn't be right..."

"Exactly." Oliver said.

"No...it wouldn't be the right punishment. You shouldn't be the one to die, Oliver. Your punishment should be that you live. You have to live with yourself after having so much death on your hands. With every death you cause you take a step even further away from being a hero. I take pleasure in this, Oliver. You take people, call them your enemies and force them to fall." The Martyr said. He took a few steps back.

"Watch me fall, Oliver. And know two things; you did this, and you will never be a hero."

He took one final step backwards and fell.

"NO!" Oliver screamed, rushing to the edge. He heard a loud noise as he reached the side of the building. He looked down and saw The Martyr lying in a pool of blood. Even from that high rooftop, Oliver could see The Martyr had died smiling. He was gone. He was victorious.


	6. FORWARDS

**6: FORWARDS**

Quentin Lance and a team of officers were summoned to the scene by The Arrow, and next to The Martyr's body was an arrow containing a recording explaining everything they needed to know about Joseph Sterven and how everything had to be kept secret. Lance understood what had to be done and told passers-by that there had been a suicide; a pure tragedy and nothing more.

...

Diggle, Felicity and Roy all waited in silence until they heard Oliver walk in, darkness in his eyes. He seemed consumed by the death of The Martyr and it had affected him greatly. Felicity swivelled around on her chair to face him and was scared by how she was mirroring the glum and empty looks on the faces of the three men around her.

"We heard about a suicide on the news." Roy said.

"...It was Sterven." Oliver almost choked as he leant against a nearby desk.

"So, it's over?" Diggle asked.

"Well, the people he employed can't be tracked, so...yeah. It's over. I thought it'd been over for so long. You know the worst part? I still respect him. He always had a cause until the very end, no matter how much he changed what the cause was." Oliver explained.

"You have a cause too, and you go about it in a better way." Felicity said.

"Do I? I've killed people too." Oliver stated.

"But the people you punished did wrong. What Sterven wanted to do was kill people for something they might not even do. He had a very twisted version of justice, but you will always know, in your heart, what you're fighting for." Felicity said, walking over to Oliver. Oliver smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"For what?" Felicity asked.

"Always knowing what to say." Oliver replied. Felicity smiled.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I need a drink." Roy said. Diggle chuckled.

"Me too! Unless of course, Oliver has a miniature bomb in a paper cut or shoved up his ass that we need to worry about?" Diggle questioned amusingly. The group laughed.

"Not this time, Digg." Oliver said. Diggle and Roy laughed as they walked up the steps together. Oliver started getting changed back into casual clothes before noticing Felicity was staring at him.

"You know, if I didn't know you well enough to know you do that quite often, I'd find you a pretty creepy woman." Oliver smiled.

"Don't think you've lost. I know you do." Felicity said. Oliver looked at her in slight surprise.

"You really do know me well, don't you?"

"Yep. He's gone, Oliver, for good this time. He caused you pain and he was willing to kill hundreds for his 'cause'. You stopped him. You won, Oliver, despite getting a very nasty new scar to add to your collection." Felicity smiled. Oliver laughed again.

"Yeah, it stings quite a bit. I'm sure a drink or ten will solve that. And besides, I wouldn't have been able to confront him if you guys hadn't thrown the bomb in the water." Oliver teased.

"You make it sound so puny; that was a big deal at the time!" Felicity exclaimed passionately as Oliver changed back into normal clothing. He held his arm out and Felicity wrapped her arm in his as they walked up the stairs together.

"You know, you are allowed to smile. You always look so melancholy." Felicity commented.

"You need to start using words non-geeks will understand." Oliver said and smiled as she thumped him.

"Ah, so hitting you makes you smile! I'll keep that in mind." Felicity giggled.

Oliver and Felicity soon joined their friends and drank together in celebration that the horrors The Martyr had brought them were over for good, though Oliver would always think of Sterven from time to time, but not in the ways he thought he would. He'd think of Sterven in an inspirational way and admire his dedication to the cause. So, whenever he felt lost and alone, Sterven would always be in the back of Oliver's mind to remind him what he was fighting for. In a way, The Martyr would always be the reason Oliver never gave up the fight to save his city and those he loved.


End file.
